


The Tale of Jin

by buzzbuzzbitch123



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Ba Sing Se, Bending (Avatar), Broken Families, Canon Compliant, Canon Continuation, Comfort, Earth Kingdom (Avatar), Earthbending & Earthbenders, Episode: s02e15 Tales of Ba Sing Se, Eventual Romance, Everything Changed When The Fire Nation Attacked, F/M, Family Issues, Fire Nation (Avatar), Fire Nation Politics (Avatar), Fire Nation Royal Family, Firebending & Firebenders, Firelord Zuko (Avatar), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gaang (Avatar), Haru implied, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Iroh (Avatar) loves Tea, Jin deserves the world, Jin's POV, Light Angst, My First Fanfic, Oblivious Zuko (Avatar), Past Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, Post-Canon, Romance, Secret Identity, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Tea, Tea Server Zuko (Avatar), Tea Shop, The Jasmine Dragon (Avatar), There Is No War In Ba Sing Se, Zuko (Avatar) is Bad at Feelings, Zuko (Avatar) is a Good Brother, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko is Lee, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, firelight fountain, jin is too good for this world, life changing field trips with zuko, post-comics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:02:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 13,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27135646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buzzbuzzbitch123/pseuds/buzzbuzzbitch123
Summary: After Jin's date with future Firelord Zuko in Ba Sing Se, she never expected to see him again years later. Could her old feelings rekindle? Were they meant for more in Ba Sing Se
Relationships: Iroh & Jin (Avatar), Jin & Zuko (Avatar), Jin (Avatar) & Original Female Character(s), Jin/Zuko (Avatar), Lee - Relationship, Zuko (Avatar)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 80





	1. The Boy in the Tea Shop

Jin took a deep breath before she walked into the tea shop. Today was the day she had finally gotten the courage to ask out the cute server boy. 

Jin had heard some neighbors talking about a wonderful tea place a few weeks ago. She had nothing else to do, so she had decided to try it out. And boy was it worth it. Not only was the tea the best tea she had ever tasted in her life, but the server with a scar on the side of his face caught her eye. He was around her age and was very cute; albeit a bit awkward at times. She had started coming in more and more. While it was mainly for the boy, the tea was a huge bonus.

Jin took a seat at her usual table in the corner. Today, the shop was empty with just one other person there. Though she was a bit nervous, she would never let it show. She had learned how to cover all her negative emotions over time. The boy came over to take her order, giving her a side glance that showed he wasn’t very sure about her. But she knew that if she could just break through his shell, they would have a lot of fun together.

“I’ll have my usual order of jasmine, please,” she smiled at him

He nodded and headed back to the kitchen. She’d ask him out when she went up to pay, she decided. It would be weird asking him out as he was literally serving him. Her hands went up to her braids and smoothed them out. She was a refugee in the lower ring, so she didn’t have the luxury of always looking her best. She hoped she looked alright. It would be very awkward to get rejected for something that she could have fixed earlier in the day.

The boy came back with her tea.

“Thank you,” she said as she took a sip.

“You're welcome,” he mumbled back. He went behind the counter to talk to an older man. Jin guessed they were related in some way. At one point the older man turned around to look at her, but the boy quickly pulled him around. She finished her tea and went up to pay. This was it.

“What??” she heard as she approached.

“Thank you for the tea,” she said, making both of them turn around. She handed the boy the money and looked nervously at the counter as he turned back around. “What’s your name”

“My name’s Lee,” he said as he turned back around to face her. “My uncle and I just moved here.”

“Hi Lee, my name’s Jin,” She said with a smile. “Thank you, and well, I was wondering if you’d like to go out sometime.”

Lee’s uncle suddenly slid right next to him.

“He’d love to!” the old man said cheerfully.

“Great! I’ll meet you in front of the shop at sundown,” Jin said happily. Then she left the shop as to not show how happy she was. Her heart raced as she started back to her home. She was going to have a lot of fun with this boy, she just knew it.


	2. Before the Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin gets ready for her date with Lee

Jin ran back to her apartment excitedly to get ready. She didn’t have much, but she would work with what she had. Her apartment also wasn’t much. Her parents weren’t around ever and she didn’t know what they were doing. She didn’t think she wanted to know. They had enough to afford the apartment in the Lower Ring and enough to survive. Jin paid for her trips to the tea shop with money she had saved up. Sometimes she got some from her parents, sometimes she found it on the ground. Most of the time it was from odd jobs she did around the city. If there was a restaurant in the Middle Ring that was understaffed, they would gladly let her work a shift. They didn’t pay much, but then again Jin didn’t ask for much.

As usual, no one was home when Jin arrived. She sighed and looked around the barren place. It was dirty and squashed. But it was home. Through the thin walls, she could hear children laughing and playing together next door. Her neighbors had 5 rambunctious kids, poor things. But they seemed to keep themselves busy and content. Jin slid open the door to her room. It was more like a closet than a room. It had enough room for her cot to sleep on and that was about it. She looked at the clothes she owned before groaning and lying down on her cot.

None of them seemed right for her date with Lee. So she might as well stay in the green dress she was already in. She glanced out the window. She could take a small nap and then she would go meet Lee at the tea shop. As she started nodding off, the boy’s face appeared in her head. She smiled at the last image in her mind before she was out.

When Jin woke up, she bolted up when she saw where the sun was. She had slept too long and it was almost sundown. She frantically ran to a mirror and saw that her hair had come out of the braids while she was asleep. Not having much time, she quickly tied it up in a messy ponytail. It still looked good. Then she ran out to meet up with Lee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short, the next chapter will be longer!


	3. Opening up at the Restaurant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin and Zuko go on their date :)

Jin stood in the alley next to the tea shop. She had run all the way there to make it in time. As she was catching her breath, she heard the door open. As she looked around the corner, she was surprised by what she saw. Lee did not have his usual fluffy hair. Instead, it was slicked down. Jin could not say that it suited him well. In fact, it was one of the worst hair dos she’d seen.

“Hey,” she greeted as she approached him. “Well, look at you, you look so cute!” She ruffled his gelled hair back with a smile. Ok, maybe it wasn’t that bad

“It took my uncle 10 minutes to do my hair,” he said, trying to fix his hair again. Jin just smiled again and took him by the arm. She knew where she wanted to go for their date.

Her favorite restaurant was one that she sometimes worked at in the Middle Ring. She loved their noodles. The restaurant was kind of crowded then. On any other day Jin probably would have asked the person in charge if she could work on a night like this. But this was a special day. She was on a date! She was eagerly eating her food while Lee say across from her picking at his meatball

“So,” Jin started the conversation. “How do you like the city so far?”

“It’s ok.” Lee replied looking down at his plate.

“What do you like to do for fun?” Jin tried again after taking a sip of tea.

“Nothing.” Lee said, still not engaging with her. As if to save them from continuing the awkwardness, a waiter came over to Lee.

“Excuse me sir,” he said “Would you and your girlfriend care for dessert?”

“SHE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!” Lee yelled, cutting the poor man off. The other guests looked at them after his outburst.

Jin’s heart sank at that. She knew it was only the first date, but is it really that bad for someone to think they were dating? They were on a date after all. Was he really so embarrassed and disgusted by her that he would yell at the whole restaurant not to be associated with her? Jin hid her hurt by eating another mouthful of noodles.

“You…..have…...quite the appetite for a girl,” Lee said hesitantly after he was done glaring at the waiter. Maybe he had realized how childish his yelling had been

“Um, thanks?” Jin said, feeling awkward. Apparently Lee did too because they both sat there in silence for a few moments.

“So, Lee,” Jin tried to break the ice again “Where were you and your uncle living before you came here?”

“Uhm, well, we’d been travelling around for a long time,” he said hesitantly.

“Oh, why were you travelling so much?” Jin asked. She felt like she was finally breaking through to hime. He was talking to her!

“We were uh, part of this travelling circus.”

“Really? What did you do? Wait, lemme guess,” Jin said excitedly and started sizing him up. What would Lee do in a travelling circus? “You juggled!”

“Yes. I juggled.” Lee said emotionlessly

“I’ve always wanted to learn how to juggle,” Jin said wistfully “Can you show me something?” She grabbed a bunch of bottles from around them and handed them to Lee. He took them, slightly uncertain and tossed them in the air. Only to have all of them fall down on him.

“I haven’t practiced for a while,” Lee explained, wiping off his face. Jin tried to hide a smile behind her hand.

“It’s alright,” she said earnestly.

“So, um, what about you?” Lee asked awkwardly. Jin’s heart leapt. He was trying to make a connection with her now too.

“Well, it’s not as exciting as going around with a travelling circus, I can tell you that much,” she began. “I’m originally from Gaoling actually. It’s kinda an affluent area. I know the Beifongs live there.”

“Uh huh, yeah,” Lee agreed, with a blank look of agreement on his face. “So how did you end up in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se then?”

“Well,” Jin sighed. “When I was very young we moved to this small village. It was nice there for a bit, but then it became…. Occupied.” Jin hesitated. While nothing bad had happened to her family yet in the city, she had heard rumors from others. People who spoke too much about what life was like outside the walls were taken away in the middle of the night, never to be heard from again. Fortunately, Lee seemed to understand what she meant. His face darkened slightly.

“Ah, I see.”

“Yeah. A few years ago they came and took all the earth benders from the village, including my brother and sister. So, my parents decided it would be safer here and we left.”

“I’m… ``I'm sorry,” Lee said, looking down. 

“It’s ok, it’s not your fault,” Jin smiled sadly. “Plus if I hadn’t come here, I would never have met you.” Lee’s face turned a deep red at that and he still didn’t look up. “But I also found that I love travelling when we were on our way here. I’d love to see the rest of the world. I’m jealous, you got to travel with your circus.”

“Yeah, it was fun sometimes,” Lee shifted nervously.

“What places have you seen?”

“Oh um, well,” he stuttered. “Let’s see, I’ve been around the Earth Kingdom and ummmm, I spent some time in the water tribes.”

“Wait really?” Jin looked at him in awe “I’ve always wanted to see the other nations. I’ve been practicing my drawings and I’d love to draw other places.”

“You draw?” Lee asked, looking genuinely curious for the first time. “What kinds of drawings?”

“Oh, you know,” Jin waved her hand “Mostly landscapes I guess. I got lots of practice in my old village. But recently, I’ve been working on portraits! People say I’m good at them, but I’m still working on it. Plus, portrait artists don’t get many jobs unless it’s from royalty or nobles.” she sighed. “Plus, I’m pretty sure the Earth King already has a royal artist. And since the Northern Water Tribe doesn’t let many outsiders in I guess that means the only other royal family would be the Fire Nation royals….” she trailed off, not wanting to think about that anymore.

The two looked down at the table in silence. While it was a bit awkward at first, soon the air became comfortable. Jin looked up at Lee and grinned. 

“C’mon, there’s one more place I want to show you.”


	4. The Firelight Fountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin takes Lee to her favorite spot to end their date

“Hey, I wanna show you one of my favorite places in the city,” Jin said as she grabbed Lee’s arm. The streets were empty now, as it was late at night. As they left the Middle Ring and headed to the Lower Ring, Jin started walking faster in excitement with Lee in tow.

She was taking him to the Firelight Fountain. She had heard about it when she first moved to Ba Sing Se from her parents. Her parents had grown up in the city and had secretly met at the fountain when they were young. During the day, turtle ducks would come to the fountain and citizens fed them. That’s how her parents had met; feeding the turtle ducks together. But Jin loved the fountain at night. The way the lanterns sparkled on the water took her breath away. She had spent lots of time sketching the fountain, but she was never able to get the magic of it quite right.

“I’m so excited for you to see the Firelight Fountain,” Jin said with a smile “The lanterns make the water sparkle and reflect in the pool in the most beautiful way.” They reached the fountain and Jin’s heart stopped. The lanterns weren’t lit.

“I can’t believe it,” she said sadly “They aren’t lit.” While the fountain itself was still nice, it just wasn’t the same. There was no magic. Jin looked down sadly. Well, there went her plan for a perfect date. She wanted Lee to experience her favorite place too, but it wasn’t going to happen now. After a moment of silence, Lee spoke.

“Close your eyes,” he said “And don’t peek.” Jin smiled a bit, kind of confused, but she complied. She had no idea what he was doing, but she was glad he was breaking out of his shell and engaging with her. After a few moments, he spoke again.

“Ok, now you can look.”

Jin took her hands off her eyes and gasped. Somehow, the lanterns were suddenly lit! How had he done this? She was certain no one else had been around to light them. A thought went through her mind. She remembered a few weeks ago at the tea shop when another boy had barged in and accused Lee and Mushi of being firebenders. But she quickly pushed that thought away. There was no way he was from the Fire Nation…

“Oh wow,” Jin breathed, still in shock. Lee stood in front of the now glimmering fountain, looking pleased with whatever he had done. Jin noticed that the lanterns now lit up his face, bringing attention to his good looks. “What happened? How did they light? What did you..”

She walked and stood next to him, now filled with awe. He smiled at her, making her heart race. Together, Jin and Lee looked at the fountain and marveled at the beauty of the reflections. Jin had an idea. She glanced at Lee slyly and brushed her hair from her face. Then she slowly brought her hand to his and grabbed it. He turned to her, looking a bit nervous. They faced each other and Jin started to go in for a kiss.

Suddenly, Lee brought a piece of paper in between their faces.

“I brought you something,” he said. Jin looked slightly disappointed that they didn’t have the moment she had planned. “It’s a coupon for a free cup of tea.”

Jin looked at him from around the coupon. “Lee, this is so sweet.” She took the coupon from him and put it in her pocket.

“Don’t thank me,” Lee stepped away and scratched the back of his head. “It was my uncle’s idea. He thinks you’re our most valuable customer.” Jin smiled. It was clear to her that Mushi meant a lot to Lee.

“Your uncle is a good teacher,” she said. She turned back to Lee and put her hand on his cheek. She brought his face to look at her. “I have something for you too. Now it’s your turn to close your eyes.” Her heart was racing in her chest, but she kept up her confidence and didn’t let it show. Lee narrowed his eyes, but did close them.

Jin went up to him and softly put her lips on his. It was just a peck, but then as she was pulling away, Lee leaned forward to continue their kiss. Her heart was so happy. He did like her back! But then, it all came crashing down. He abruptly pulled away just as fast and turned around.

“What’s wrong?” Jin asked, all her fears and insecurities making themselves known in her.

“It’s complicated.” Lee said, still with his back to her. Jin’s heart collapsed inside her. “I have to go.” He walked away, leaving Jin alone by the fountain. He didn’t look back.

Jin sank down by the side of the fountain and put her head in her hands. What happened? Everything had been going so well. Had she done something wrong? Her emotions finally overtook her and she began crying. Her perfect date with her perfect boy was ruined and so was her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I know there is one more canonical appearance of Jin in the comics after this, but I've decided to not include that, but I might have it as like a bonus chapter at some point. But I just don't think it will fit into the story right now. Thank you all for the positive comments! I'd love any feedback you have as we now go to the main part of the story.


	5. Memories of the Earth benders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Jin tries to get over Lee, she reminisces on her life.

Jin never went back to the tea shop. She didn’t have it in her. She didn’t think she would be able to look at the boy who had crushed her heart. She really thought they had had something. But seeing as he had screamed at a restaurant that he wasn’t her boyfriend and then ran away after she kissed him, she guessed the warning signs had been there. But she had too much self respect than to go try to see him again.

So instead of spending her afternoons sipping delicious tea, she had to find other things to do. For about a week after the date, she had just spent her time lying in bed and crying. Her parents didn’t seem to notice and if they did, they didn’t say anything. They were busy with their own lives. Jin thought about her family.

Her parents were both non-benders like she was. They had grown up in Ba Sing Se, but left to go get married. They married young, so they didn’t have much when they started their family. They were still trying to catch up to this day. When her older brother, Kanto, was born, it was a shock. Especially since it turned out he was an earth bender. Since they were still young and broke, they needed money fast. Jin’s mother worked as a maid for the Beifongs for a few years. That’s when Jin was born. Her parents were relieved she wasn’t a bender -dealing with two toddler earth benders would not have been fun or easy- but that didn’t really help things too much. She was still another mouth to feed and another child to be watched. At least this one wasn’t chucking rocks at them all day.

While Kanto was loud and wild, Jin had been the quiet, sweet one. Despite the differences in their personalities, they still got along well.

_ “Hey Jin,” Kanto called his little sister. “What are you doing?” _

_ “I’m drawing,” Jin said, and held up a picture of Kanto earthbending for him to see. It wasn’t a masterpiece, but for a five year old, it was very well drawn. _

_ “Wow!” Kanto exclaimed. “That’s cool! But do you wanna come play outside? I found out how to make a slide!” Jin giggled and put down her artwork. She and Kanto laughed and ran around outside having fun together. _

Jin smiled sadly at the memory and went over to a small box she had. Inside, she had the drawing of Kanto earth bending that she had made all those years ago. There were other important keepsakes in there, but that was her favorite. Jin hesitated, and then took the coupon Lee had given her out of her pocket. She looked at it for a moment, and then put it in the box. She didn’t know why, but she just had a feeling that she should keep it. It wasn’t like she was going to use it anytime soon. Not with Lee still working there.

Jin groaned and sank back down on her bed. She had to get over this. What was so special about the boy with the scar anyways? He didn’t seem to like her. He didn’t even really tell her much about himself. But for some reason she was drawn to him like a butterfly moth to a candle. She again started thinking about her siblings. By the time her little sister, Jingi, was born, they had already moved from Gaoling to the small mining village. Even though she was seven years younger, she and Jin had a strong sisterly bond. 

_ “Jin! Jin! Come watch me!” Jingi called. The toddler was bending a rock into the air. She had a huge grin on her face and she showed her older sister what she learned. Jin clapped at her sister’s performance. _

_ “At this rate, you’ll be better than Kanto!” she encouraged. Jiingi’s smile widened even more. At this point, Jingi was just four years old. Her older brother was 13 and was starting to use his earthbending in the mines of the village. Little did they know that this would be the last normal day of their lives. _

Jin blinked back her tears. That same day, the Fire Nation ships had pulled up on their shores. They took over the village and got rid of any resistance. The main resistance, of course, being the earth benders. The Fire Nation soldiers went to the mines to find the earth benders that hadn’t been out earthbending in the open after they took away everyone fighting. They didn’t care how old or young the benders were. They took them all. Kanto included. Jin hadn’t even been able to say goodbye.

And just as her family was starting to deal with the loss of Kanto, they were dealt another blow. The soldiers went to people’s homes to find any earth benders that had slipped past them. And Jingi was taken too. The sounds of her sister’s cries and the screams of her mother rang in Jin’s ears. Their happy family was ripped apart and nothing would ever be the same. They left quietly in the night. They didn’t want the soldiers to come back and harm the family of two young earth benders.

That’s when Jin’s parents became distant. They buried themselves in their works and avoided her. She knew it wasn’t their fault. When they looked at her, they saw Kanto and Jingi. So Jin had also thrown herself into her art to distract herself. She buried her emotions down and took them out in her artwork. And she had found another kind of distraction in Lee. But now that he was out of her life, she felt the memories of her siblings rushing in to fill the hole Lee left in her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I thought I should just go over Jin's past! Of course, they don't exist in cannon, but I wanted to expand on her backstory. I think I'll have one more chapter that takes place during the show, and then it'll get into the romance and story!


	6. The War in Ba Sing Se

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin visits Pao, but has a very unexpected shock

It had been about a week since the infamous date. Jin heard that Lee and Mushi no longer worked on the Pao Family Tea Shop. Apparently, some rich people from the Upper Ring had heard about how good the tea was and offered Mushi his own tea shop. Jin wasn’t surprised, it was the best tea she had ever tasted. Now everyone was raving about his new tea shop; The Jasmine Dragon. 

With the Jasmine Dragon being the talk of the town, some friends asked Jin if she wanted to go there with them. Jin declined. She still wasn’t ready to face Lee. She didn’t know if she ever would be. But now that Mushi and Lee left Pao’s tea shop, Jin was able to go back. Since she had spent so much time there before, she had gotten to know Pao.

When she entered the tea house, it was almost deserted. Pao was slouched on the counter pouting.

“Ah, Jin!” he looked up excitedly when he saw her. “You’ve come back! I was getting worried about you.”

“Sorry, I meant to come in sooner, but I had some family issues to deal with,” she lied. “What’s happened here?” Pao’s face went back to a scowl.

“Some rich men came in and poached my tea maker!” he complained. “Now everyone wants to go to his tea shop and leave me with nothing!”

“I’m sure they’ll come back,” Jin comforted the man gently. “Soon the excitement will wear off and customers will be dying to return to the tea shop they know and love.” Pao brightened up at her words.

“Of course! Now, what can I get for you my dear,” Pao asked, straightening up. Jin opened her mouth to answer, but was suddenly interrupted by a loud rumbling coming from outside. Jin and Pao exchanged confused looks and then went over to the door to see what the commotion was.

As they looked outside, Jin gasped and put her hand over her mouth. The outer wall was falling! How could this happen? Ba Sing Se was protected by the walls. This was the safest city in the world! The walls have never fallen before. The only way they were falling now was from earth bending. But… why would earth benders want to bring down the walls of the capital of the Earth Kingdom. As her head was spinning with confusion, she looked down the street. And horror filled her even more.

Fire Nation soldiers. They were marching down the street. The streets of Ba Sing Se. The Fire Nation had infiltrated the heart of the Earth Kingdom. Nowhere was safe now. The color drained from her face as they passed by the tea shop. How did this happen? She had escaped the war! The war wasn’t in Ba Sing Se!

But now suddenly, that safety was gone. She felt like she was 11 years old again. They had taken Jingi and Kanto. And now they had taken her new life from her.

As the reality of what was happening and the fear of what was to come were sinking in, Lee flashed through Jin’s mind. She couldn’t help but think of him. Was he ok? Would he be ok? Based on his scar, Jin assumed that whatever run in he had had with the Fire Nation wasn’t pleasant. But she pushed him out of her mind. She had to focus on what was going on in the moment.

The Earth Kingdom has fallen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the positivity! I'm excited to share what I'm thinking of. I hope y'all are ready for a time skip cuz that's what's coming next


	7. The Boat to the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war has been over for 5 years now. Jin and her friend Menji decide to explore a new part of the world and head to the Fire Nation

**5 years later**

Jin studied herself in the mirror. The girl in the reflection stared back at her with dark olive green eyes. She was 21 years old now, and a professional artist. And she certainly looked the part. Her hair was permanently messy it seemed, so she kept it in a braid. Her hands were stained with paint and ink from her works. She smiled at herself. Sometimes she wondered if Jingi looked like her. Sometimes, Jin would sit and watch people pass by, hoping to see her own face in the crowds.

Jin pushed the thoughts of her lost sister away. The war had ended almost five years ago now. And while the Fire Nation was under new leadership now and trying to right the last 100 years of wrongs, relations between the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom were still….shaky at best. They had freed any earth benders who had been imprisoned, but tracking people down was very difficult. Even though Jin had considered Kanto and Jingi to be as good as dead, there was still a small part of her that wanted to know what happened to them. Her thoughts were interrupted by the door bursting open.

“Jin! Are you almost ready? We don’t want to miss the boat!” Menji grinned. Menji had been Jin’s roommate and best friend since she had left Ba Sing Se at the end of the war. They had met on a ferry out of the city. Neither of them knew where they were going and so together they decided to travel the world. They would stop in towns to rest and make money. Menji would work odd jobs while Jin sold portraits to people she drew in the town. They had seen almost all parts of the Earth Kingdom and had decided they wanted a change of scenery.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Jin said, grabbing her bags off the floor. “I wouldn’t want to sneak onto another boat and cause more tension with the Fire Nation.” Menji rolled her eyes.

“I’m just done with this dusty dirt country,” Menji grumbled “I’ve heard that in the Fire Nation, every inch is covered in plants.”

“Where did you hear that?” Jin scoffed “That doesn’t even sound plausible. I’m ready, so let’s head off.”

Jin and Menji headed to the harbour where a ship set for Caldera City was anchored. Jin turned back for one last look at her home country and smiled sadly. Then she stepped onto the metal ship, leaving everything and everyone she ever knew behind. Except for Menji, of course. As the pier faded away while the ship sailed off, Jin felt the excitement of the unknown fill her up. 

“So, what should we do first when we get there?” Jin asked Menji. Menji was always the one to come up with the plans and adventures they went on. She was always itching for more and throwing herself into what was new and unknown.

“Well,” she said thoughtfully, biting her lip. “We can find a cheap place to stay. Then we can find some jobs while we explore the city.”

“Wait, really?” Jin questioned, confused. “You want to stay in Caldera City? That’s not the Menji I know.” Menji rolled her eyes.

“Well, obviously not forever,” she sassed. “But this is completely new! Caldera City is like the Ba Sing Se of the Fire Nation. There’ll be tons to see! It’s not like some tiny Earth Kingdom village where if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. C’mon, it’ll be fun!” Jin sighed and played with the end of her braid nervously.

“But what kind of jobs will we get? We’ll have to find more permanent jobs! I’ve never had a long term job before and I don’t have any skills and-”

Menji cut off Jin’s anxious rant. “Look. It’ll be fine! I heard some tea shop from the Earth Kingdom just opened a branch in the city, so I’ll go there! Since it’s an Earth Kingdom shop, then they’ll probably want Earth Kingdom people working there! And you can do more portraits! The Fire Nation is a big fan of their nobles and honor or whatever, so I’m sure you can find some high class family to draw that’ll pay well.”

Jin sighed. There was no use worrying about it. They had never had plans going places in the Earth Kingdom, so she shouldn’t be surprised that this is no different. She had gotten better at portraits. It would be easy to find some noble to make a portrait of and be set for years to come. Maybe she’d even get to do a royal portrait? No, that was too far. Probably just some high ranking general at best. It would be crazy to think the Fire Lord would be interested in her artwork. Right? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all I ready for the Fire Nation! Let me know what you think of Menji, I might have her play a bigger role in the story, but I'm not sure yet


	8. Caldera City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin and Menji make it to the Fire Nation, but they run in to some problems

The Great Gates of Azulon stand tall, welcoming Jin to the capital of the Fire Nation. Jin looked up at the giant golden dragon statues. She had heard that during the war, the statues would breathe fire at enemies passing through and a net would rise to keep them out. But now, as the world was at peace, the dragons stayed fireless, simply looking over the ships passing through.

Jin and Menji stood side by side at the front of the ship, watching as they got closer and closer to the Royal Plaza. The Royal Plaza was heavily fortified, as it was the only way in or out of the city from the sea. Jin had heard rumors that the only time invaders had made it past the Royal Plaza was the invasion during the day of Black Sun led by the avatar. Past the Royal Plaza was Harbor City. During the war, it was a huge supplier of the refined metal used to make weapons. And beyond Harbor City was the large dormant volcano that housed Caldera City. The road up to the top of the volcano was the most heavily guarded and fortified place in the world. Of course, it made sense since it was leading to the capital of the nation and the royal palace. That was where they were heading. Caldera City, where they would start their lives in the Fire Nation.

Jin took Menji’s hand and gave it a squeeze as the ship docked. Even though Menji loved running headfirst into the unknown, Jin knew that she was still nervous and scared sometimes; even if she would never admit it. Menji looked at Jin and gave her a squeeze back and a grateful smile.

“Here we are,” Jin whispered to her “We’re gonna start a new chapter here in Caldera City!”

“Yeah if we can even make it up that hill,” Menji snorted. “How long do you think it’ll take to make it up there?” That was true. Even though they only had one bag each, it was not going to be an easy walk.

They departed from the ship. Still hand in hand, they walked through the Royal Plaza. The whole plaza was lined with defense towers and battlements. Whether they were all manned was unknown as they were too guarded to see inside. The girls looked around in awe. This had been where Fire Lord Ozai had crowned himself Phoenix King and they could see why. It showcased the power and importance of the Fire Nation. 

Jin felt small. Though it was the only way to reach the harbor from the capital, the plaza was mostly void of people. It felt like all of the defense was aimed right at her. She held Menji’s hand tighter. Hopefully she never had to walk through this intimidating plaza again.

Once they passed through the Royal Plaza and into Harbor City, both of them exhaled. Neither girl had noticed they had been holding their breath the whole time. Unlike the plaza, Harbor City was full of people and life. People walking about and going on with their lives, children running around, and merchants selling their goods. It reminded Jin of the Lower Ring in Ba Sing Se. She couldn’t help but grin. So much for unfamiliar and new.

“Ok,” Menji thought out loud as she assessed their situation. “What we have to do is get through Harbor City and up the mountain. Then in Caldera City, we can find that tea shop I heard about. I’ll get a job there, then we can find an apartment close to the shop.” She nodded her head, satisfied with her plan.

“Alright,” Jin shrugged, she would go with any plan Menji came up with. “Let’s climb that hill.”

That was easier said than done. Their first obstacle was finding their way out of Harbor City. They got lost more than a few times in the crowded and winding streets. 

“Well, at least we have an idea of where stuff is if we ever need to go back into Harbor City,” Jin offered once they had finally made it out. They’d had to run from some muggers a few minutes ago and Menji was not in a good mood.

“We won’t need to,” Menji glared at Jin as she caught her breath. “Everything we need will be in Caldera City.” Though Menji didn’t like making plans, she hated when things didn’t go the way she planned even more.

“Alright,” Jin sighed, straightening up. “ _ Now _ let’s climb that hill.”

As they made their way up the steep switchbacks, Jin couldn’t help but feel like she was being watched. It made sense, since there were watchtowers every hundred feet, but Jin felt like there was more to it.

“Menji,” she spoke to her friend in a low voice. “How come we’re the only people walking here?”

“Hmm?” Menji looked around and frowned a bit. “I’m sure everyone is working. They don’t have time to walk up this mountain when they’re busy working. And plus, it’s not like this is a casual stroll. Hopefully we’ll never have to make this trek again!” Jin couldn’t tell if Menji was trying to convince herself or Jin. They continued their hike in silence. Jin still felt uneasy, but tried to ignore the feeling.

When they finally made it to the lip of the volcano, they looked down at Caldera City and caught their breath.

“There it is,” Menji breathed. The city was beautiful. Tall, spikey houses filled the city and shimmering lakes took away the breath Jin had just regained. And in the center of it all, the Royal Palace. The intimidating mansion was surrounded by huge iron gates. It was quite a sight to behold. Even from above, Jin could feel its presence towering over her.

“Hey! Who are you and what are you doing here?” The girls spun around at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. They found three guards standing there, scowling at them.

“We’re, um, from the Earth Kingdom and we just moved here and, um,-” Menji stuttered, looking down at the ground.

“Well you should know you aren’t allowed in Royal Caldera City unless you’ve been invited by the Fire Lord himself,” the guard cut in. Jin’s jaw dropped and Menji looked up, paling.

“ _ Royal _ Caldera City?!?!” Jin sputtered, turning to Menji. “I thought it was a regular city anyone can move to! You didn’t tell me that we needed the  _ Fire Lord’s _ permission!”

“I- uh, well, um,” Menji stumbled, moving her hands together nervously. Jin cut her ramblings off with her hand. She put her hands to the sides of her temples and closed her eyes.

“Ok. All our plans are gone now. Let’s just start over and go back to Harbor City since we’re already here.” Jin sighed. Then she turned on her heel and started storming back down the mountain, leaving Menji standing alone staring at the ground. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Made it to the Fire Nation! I promise there will be some Zuko soon!! Also, I got all my information about the capital from the wiki because I want to stay as close to canon and lore as I can. Let me know what you think!! :)


	9. The Emerald Fire Animal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin and Menji find jobs in Harbor City

Jin was still grumbling by the time they had found an apartment they could afford. She had expected to live in a nice city where the rich and powerful lived. She would be able to make more money that way. She had left the only country she knew and for what? To be back in the Lower Ring but in a completely different country. She was exactly where she had been five years ago, if not worse since she was in a foreign land. And she had walked up that huge mountain for nothing?!?

She sighed. She knew it wasn’t Menji’s fault for all this. She was just tired and taking it out on her friend. Jin looked over at Menji. Menji was still focused on the ground; guilty and humiliation clear on her face. Jin hadn’t spoken to her since the top of the volcano.

“Hey,” Jin called softly. Menji looked up in surprise. “I’m sorry for walking away like that. I’m just tired from all the travelling and excitement. It’s not your fault.” Menji quickly looked back down to the ground.

“I’m sorry too,” she mumbled “I should have known… I should have done more research before planning this all out….” She trailed off as they stopped in front of the door to their new apartment. They looked at each other before Jin took a deep breath and pushed the door open. What else did the day have in store for them? They held their breath in anticipation as they slowly made their way inside. Fortunately, nothing seemed amiss!

It was small and run down, but they had expected that. They had looked for the cheapest one possible after all. It also came with basic furniture, so they wouldn’t have to worry about buying any. There was a small kitchen, a living area with a table and three chairs cramped in, a tiny bathroom, and two bedrooms. Jin turned and grinned at Menji.

“Looks like we lucked out on something today!” she said happily. She went over to one of the rooms and slid the door open. It was small of course, but it was bigger than the room she’d had in Ba Sing Se.

“Well, at least one part of the plan worked out,” Menji sighed as she went over to the other bedroom. “Now we have to find jobs.”

Jin set her stuff down in her room. She had no idea what kind of job to get. They were living in the industrial section of Harbor City and Jin knew nothing about industry. What kind of jobs were industry jobs? She doubted it had anything to do with drawing. Well, they would find something. They had to.

“I’m pretty sure we passed by a tea shop on the way here,” Menji mused, still thinking around her original plan. Jin rolled her eyes.

“Still going with the tea shop? I thought you said the Earth Kingdom one was in Caldera- I mean  _ Royal _ Caldera City.”

“Yeah,” Menji groaned. “Don’t remind me. But we might as well check it out. What about you? What’s your plan now that painting rich people is out?” Jin sighed.

“Well,” she replied glumly “I guess I’ll go the tea shop route too.”

Once they had settled into their new home, the girls went to go find the tea shop. It was a few minutes away, so at least it was conveniently close by. The sign of the shop had a red dragon breathing fire onto a cup.

“The Emerald Fire Animal,” Jin read, raising her eyebrows. “Why is the dragon red?” Menji rolled her eyes and grabbed Jin’s arm, pulling her into the shop. The inside reminded Jin of Pao’s Family Tea House back in Ba Sing Se. She frowned. Why was she thinking about that? She had forced those memories from her mind years ago.

“Welcome!” a shaky old man greeted them as he walked over. “I am Zeto, the owner of this fine tea place. How may I help you lovely ladies?”

“Well, we just moved here from the Earth Kingdom,” Menji said with a smile. Then she bowed to the man with a hand up straight above her fist. She elbowed Jin in the ribs to do the same. Jin tried to do what Menji did with her hands, but ended up doing a combination of that and the traditional Earth Kingdom hand bow. “And we heard about a wonderful tea shop and were interested in maybe getting some jobs!”

Zeto chuckled as he viewed the two girls.

“Well, I can definitely tell your friend here is from the Earth Kingdom,” he observed. “Her hand placements are all over the place! But you, my young one, seem to have done your research on proper Fire Nation etiquette!” Both girls blushed, but for very different reasons.

“I try to make a point to know everything about the places I go,” Menji hummed. Jin resisted rolling her eyes at her friend. Yeah, some research she’d done.

“Ah, what a wonderful thing that is,” Zeto put his hands together and smiled contently. “I have been looking for some new servers and dishwashers recently and I would be delighted to have you both as my newest workers. Would you be able to start tomorrow at noon?”

“Of course,” Menji gasped as she bowed again. “We would be honored! We’ll be here at noon ready to work!” 

Jin, who had quietly been observing the whole exchange, quickly bowed as well. She looked at Menji’s hands to be sure she got it right this time. How did Menji have time to research all this stuff about the Fire Nation? They were together at all times and Jin couldn’t remember ever seeing Menji studying the customs of the other nations. No matter. They had jobs now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this is probably going to be the last update of the day. I promise there will be more excitement in the next chapter, but let me know what you guys think so far!!


	10. Royal Caldera City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin gets the opportunity she's been waiting for all this time. But there might be more waiting for her than she thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I lied here's one more chapter!

It had been a few weeks and Jin had settled into her job at the tea shop comfortably. She was mainly a server, but she was put on dish duty at least once a week. They had found that Menji had a natural talent for brewing tea. More people had started coming to The Emerald Fire Animal since Menji had switched from server to tea maker. It reminded Jin of Mushi back in Ba Sing Se. She laughed to herself. If Menji was Mushi, that would make her Lee. She shook her head to get out of those thoughts. She hadn’t seen them in five years. Why had she suddenly started thinking about the scarred boy who broke her young heart?

“Jin! I have two cups of ginseng tea here for ya!” Menji called from the kitchen. Jin smiled at her friend as she picked up the tray. Menji was adjusting to the Fire Nation much better than Jin was. Jin just couldn’t grasp the customs and rules as well. Everyone was much more traditional here. Always fretting about their hair and honor. Honestly, it seemed quite exhausting to Jin. But she was getting the hang of it. Jin walked over to the two men sitting at the table to give them their tea. She wasn’t trying to listen to their conversation, but she couldn’t help it when it perked her ear.

“...and they’re just going to let anyone into Royal Caldera City?” the brown haired man asked his friend. The other man had his black hair in a topknot, marking him as most likely noble. All nobles had topknots, but Jin had seen a few people in Harbor City with some. They were either very traditional, or trying to act noble. Another custom Jin didn’t really understand. Menji had started wearing a topknot, but seeing as she was following all the other traditions, it made sense.

“Well, not just anyone,” the topknotted man clarified. “Specifically, they’re looking for an artist to do some portraits.” Jin froze at that. Someone in Royal Caldera City wanted their portrait done? That was exactly what she’d come to do!

“Really?” the other man responded eagerly. “Do you know what family?”

“No,” the black haired man sighed. “I’d expect it to be a lower noble family. After all, if they aren’t using the royal artist they must be. But I’ve heard a few rumors that it’s a request from someone very high up. All I know is that tomorrow the city will be crowded with starved artists looking for the gig.”

Jin quickly put down the tea at the men’s table with a quick bow and rushed back to the kitchen. Her head was spinning. A high noble was searching for an artist? And not the well respected royal artist? Or any well known artist? This had to be a joke. She grabbed Menji’s arm.

“Menji!” she hissed. “There’s some noble family looking for an artist in Royal Caldera City! Anyone who wants can go to Royal Caldera City to try to get the job!” Menji’s jaw dropped and she stepped away from the pot of tea she had been brewing.

“Really?!?!” she asked excitedly. “When is it? Who is it?”

“It’s tomorrow,” Jin answered, matching Menji’s enthusiasm. “There’s a rumor that it’s some very high up family, but I’m not sure. I just heard those two guys out there talking about it!”

“Oh my goodness!” Menji squealed. “This is amazing! Oh my gosh, you gotta take me with you tomorrow! Obviously, I won’t try out with you, but I’ll still be there to cheer you on!” 

“Of course you’re coming with me,” Jin grinned. “Whatever happens, we’re in this together. And hey, maybe while I’m meeting with whoever it is, you can go find that tea shop!”

Excitement was in the air for the rest of their shift. They told Zeto what was happening and he insisted they take the next two days off.

“Tomorrow for the interview, the next to recover from your adventure,” he explained with a smile. “And Menji, you must tell me all about this tea shop. I have to know what my competition is, after all.”

With everything planned out by that night, Jin lay in bed, too excited and nervous to sleep. She had never been to an interview before. Heck, she’d never done a portrait for a noble before! She wondered what it would be like. What kinds of questions would they ask her? Would they have her draw something so they could job her skills? She hoped they would be nice. The last thing that passed through her mind as she drifted off was the memory of when she told Lee her dream of going to the Fire Nation and doing a royal portrait.

Menji woke her up just after sunrise with a gentle shake. Menji had always been an early riser. Jin didn’t know how she did it. 

“Wake up, Lady Jin,” Menji said softly as Jin groaned and turned over. “You don’t want to miss one of the biggest opportunities of your life.” Jin sighed and flipped back around to look into Menji’s soft brown eyes.

“I know, you’re right,” she mumbled sleepily. “Just give me a sec to wake up. We can’t all wake up with the sun like you.” Menji grinned at her wickedly and left her alone in the room. Jin could hear her softly humming as she put on a pot of tea.

Jin slowly sat up and looked at her clothes. None of them were nice enough to wear to a nobleman’s house. But they were all she had. As she looked through them, she finally decided on her favorite dress. It was a long, light green one with white on the sleeves and hem. It reminded her of the one she wore on her date with Lee. 

She widened her eyes in alarm at the thought. Why did he keep popping up? They had gone on one date five years ago and barely knew each other. She took a deep breath. Focus. She had to stay focused. Another image popped into her head, this time of Kanto and Jinji. Jin rubbed her face with her hands. What was going on with her recently?

Once she finished getting ready, she took one last look at herself in the mirror. Her olive eyes stared back at her as she adjusted her signature braid. She opened her door and sat down with Menji.

“Well, don’t you look professional,” Menji complimented her. “Those nobles are gonna hire you on the spot!”

“Thanks, Menji,” Jin laughed. “Should we head over now? We’re gonna have to climb that mountain again.” Menji groaned. 

“Ugh don’t remind me. At least we know we can actually get into the city this time.”

As they made their way up through the switchbacks, they were not as alone as last time. Others were passing them also making their way up to the top. It looked like some of them had just gotten off the last ships from the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom. A lot of them were holding scrolls or canvases that showed off their best work. Jin started to worry again. Was she supposed to have brought her work? That would make sense, now that she thought about it. But it was too late now! Jin cursed the stupid path. Every time she walked up it, she would sense that something bad was going to happen.

When they reached the lip of the volcano and looked down at the city, there were no guards stopping them this time. Jin took a deep breath and grabbed Menji’s hand. Then they descended into Royal Caldera City. It had always felt like the two of them against the world and they were in this together.

When they got into the city, they knew they had to part ways. Menji turned and gave Jin’s hand an extra squeeze.

“You got this Jin,” she smiled gently. “You’re gonna blow them away with your talent. And if they can’t see that, then they’re blinded by all the smoke they make.” Jin laughed as she pulled Menji into a hug.

“Thank you,” she breathed into Menji’s hair. “Now go find that tea place!” Menji gave her a small salute and they parted ways. Jin took a deep breath and followed all the other artists who seemed to know where to go.

Jin fidgeted nervously as she stood waiting in line. They were waiting outside of a very fancy building near the Royal Palace. There weren’t as many people as she had expected there to be. She hoped she was in the right place. Everyone was silently waiting. A few were sketching on some paper they had with them. Again, Jin felt extremely unprepared. As the sun began to rise higher, the city around her began to wake up. She could hear the sounds of kids laughing as they walked to school and the merchants yelling at people walking by. She closed her eyes and focused on the sounds of the city to distract herself from her nerves. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe-

“You there! Girl!” A sudden voice made Jin snap her eyes open. In front of her was an old woman with a top knot. Oh spirits, was this the noble who was making the commission? Because this wasn’t the best first impression. “Hello? Are you deaf?”

“Um, yes, sorry,” Jin cleared her throat and bowed the way she had seen Menji bow before. “Sorry, I’m just a bit tired. Not used to getting up this early.” She laughed nervously.

“Hmmm,” the old woman squinted. “You’re not a firebender then, eh? Now that I can see your eyes, I wonder, are you even from the Fire Nation at all?”

“Um, no, yes, well,” Jin stumbled over her words. “I’m from the Earth Kingdom, but I moved here about a month ago. My friend and I live in Harbor City.”

“Hmmm,” the old woman looked her over. “And what is your name, girl?”

“Jin,” Jin said quickly. “My name is Jin.” At that, the woman raised her brows.

“Ah, Jin from the Earth Kingdom, eh? Well, come with me. I think someone would like to speak with you.”

Jin’s head spun as she followed the old woman inside. You could feel the other artists glaring at her as she passed by. What was going on? Did she get the job? How? She hadn’t even done anything but tell the woman who she was. And there were dozens of people in front of her in line. Nothing made sense at all.

The woman led her into an empty room. There was a huge seat that looked more like a throne facing Jin as she walked in. on the floor in front of the seat was a pillow to sit on. The woman gestured to the pillow and Jin took that as her cue to sit down. She expected the old woman to take a seat in the empty chair and explain what was going on, but instead she began to leave. As she got to the door, she turned around to address Jin again.

“He will be with you shortly.” And with that she spun back around and closed the door behind her, leaving Jin all alone.

Now Jin was even more confused. Who was he? Why did he want to see her? Did he even want to see her? She still didn’t know why she was here exactly. Was this the wrong place? Had she just been brought into some random person’s house? Oh spirits, what would Menji think if she never came back? Would she look for Jin? Where would she even look?

As her confusion grew, she looked up when she heard footsteps coming from the side of the room next to the throne. She assumed it was  _ him _ . Not sure what to expect, Jin held her breath nervously as she heard him approach. But when he came into view, it was the last thing Jin ever expected to see. Her jaw dropped. She’d recognize that scar anywhere.

“Lee??”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins :)


	11. Lee the Fire Lord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin reunites with her crush and learns who he truly is

“Lee???”

The name came out as a strangled sound from Jin’s throat. What on earth?!?!?!? How was Lee here? Why was Lee here? Who is Lee?!?? Oh spirits, he really had been a fire bender. Those lights at the fountain, that was him! And that boy who was dragged away by the Dai LI had been right! Everything spun around her and she stared wide eyed at the person in front of her.

“Jin! It is you!” the mystery man said, a smile lighting up his face. “When Leeli said she found an artist from the Earth Kingdom named Jin, I wasn’t sure if it was really you but it is!” Jin continued staring at him sputtering. Her mind was unable to come up with any words. It was like everything was just one question mark of confusion. The man’s smile faltered a bit. “You must have some questions, I’m sure.”

“W-what are you doing here? How are you here?” she finally managed to get out. A look of curiosity came over the scarred man and he titled his head at her.

“You mean you don’t know who I am?” he asked, genuinely curious about what she thought she knew.

“Well, clearly not!” Jin yelled. Her confusion was melting away and made way for her anger to rise in her. She was not an angry person. But this was not an ordinary situation. “I thought you were just some poor refugee named Lee who worked at a tea shop! I haven’t seen you in five years and now suddenly you’re in the Fire Nation?!?! And Royal Caldera City of all places? Who are you!?!”

“You really don’t know,” he said softly as she glared up at him in confusion and fear. “Tell me, do you know anything about Fire Lord Zuko?”

Jin scoffed. She might not know much about international affairs, but she did live in Ba Sing Se until the end of the war. When word that the new Fire Lord was the son of Fire Lord Ozai and the crown prince of the Fire Nation, she was skeptical to say the least. Hadn’t he been the one welcomed back as a war hero after conquering Ba Sing Se? The place she lived? How was this any different now? But, seeing as he ended the war and was trying to make up for what his nation had done to the Earth Kingdom, she guessed it would work out.

“Not much,” she muttered, looking at the floor. “Obviously, I don’t know him personally. I mean, he did invade my home, but it seems like he’s changed since then.” Lee (or whoever he was) brightened back up at her words.

“Well,” he said smugly. “You’re right about most of that. But you are mistaken about one crucial part.” Jin looked at him in confusion. Why was he talking about the Fire Lord so much? She just wanted to know who this man was, not a history lesson on the rulers of the nation. 

“I am Fire Lord Zuko.”

Jin felt like she was going to pass out. Was this some kind of joke? She had to be dreaming, there was no way this was real. The Fire Lord had lived in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se? And worked in a tea shop? And- and- and oh spirits! SHE HAD TRIED TO KISS THE FIRE LORD! Le-Zuko seemed to notice Jin’s mind breaking in front of him. He hesitated. This was not how he thought this would go.

“Um, how about we go somewhere and talk?” 

Jin stood up silently nodding. Everything still felt numb.

“C’mon, I’ll take you to a tea shop,” the Fire Lord said as he took Jin’s arm. “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do and there’s someone I want you to see.” Jin snapped back to reality

“Oh, spirits, does everything in my life revolve around tea?” she cried out. “I met you at a tea shop, you worked at a tea shop, now I work at a tea shop, my friend is at a tea shop, and now we’re going to a tea shop!” 

“Um, well, we don’t have to go to the tea place,” Zuko said nervously, slightly alarmed at her sudden outburst.

“No, it’s fine,” Jin sighed. “This is just…. A lot.” Zuko nodded sympathetically as they walked out into the streets. Jin took deep breaths as they walked, trying to calm herself down.

“So, um,” Zuko scratched the back of his head. “How’s, um, how’s Ba Sing Se?” Jin could feel him winch at his own question.

“Wouldn’t know,” Jin said emotionlessly. “I haven’t been there in five years.”

“Oh.”

They walked in an awkward silence after that. Jin smiled internally. This was the boy in the tea shop she remembered. At least some things hadn’t changed.

“So, Fire Lord, huh?” Jin broke the silence and gave Zuko a half grin. He chuckled nervously.

“Yeah, it’s quite the job,” he sighed. “Sometimes I think it’s harder than being a tea server. But then I remember that woman, Pi, and suddenly being Fire Lord feels like a breeze.” 

Jin laughed. She remembered that woman. She came in almost every day and overtime she found something to complain about. She felt Zuko relax at her laugh. This felt almost...normal. Like they were eating dinner in Ba Sing Se, but this time no one was hiding anything. Jin smiled. Maybe she could forgive the boy who had crushed her heart back then. 

As they approached the tea shop, they stopped and Jin read the sign. 

“The Jasmine Dragon?” she raised her brow at Zuko and smiled nervously.

“Yeah, my uncle still owns the one back in Ba Sing Se and decided to expand his business here.”

“Oh then this must be the tea shop I’ve heard about! I wonder if Menji is still here!” Jin had no idea how she would explain any of this to Menji, but maybe it would be easier if Menji was just able to see for herself.

Sure enough, when they stepped inside, she saw Menji sitting at a table chatting with Mushi. Or, whoever he really was.

“Menji!” Jin called over to her friend. Menji looked up and grinned.

“Oh, hey Jin, I-” Menji stopped as she saw who Jin was with. Her face was filled with shock. Jin didn’t blame her, she had just walked through the door with the Fire Lord after all. But then she looked over and saw that Zuko had also stopped and frowned at her friend slightly. A look of recognition flickered in his eyes.

“Zaya?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, I decided to give Menji a bigger role than I originally planned, but I'll make sure it doesn't overshadow Jin and Zuko!


	12. Menji...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin learns the truth about her best friend

“Zaya? What are you talking about? That’s my friend, Menji,” Jin looked between her best friend and her old crush. Both of them seemed frozen looking at each other. Jin sighed and gave Mushi a look asking for help. He understood right away and got up and cleared his throat.

“Ah, Jin,” he smiled at her. “It’s been so long! I’m glad you and my nephew were able to find each other again. How have you been?”

“I’ve been good,” Jin smiled sweetly at the old man. She left the other two in the room to continue staring at each other in silence. “It’s nice to see you again. And I’m assuming your real name isn’t really Mushi.”

“Oh, no it is not,” the teamaker chuckled. “Allow me to finally introduce myself properly. My name is Iroh. I am sorry the circumstances we first met under led me to deceiving you with a false identity.” He gave her a small bow and she was pleasantly surprised to see it was a normal Earth Kingdom bow.

“Yeah, I’m Menji,” Menji suddenly said out of nowhere. She cleared her throat and straightened up in her chair. “I don’t know who this ‘Zaya’ person is.”

“Zaya, I know it’s you,” Zuko growled. They ignored Jin’s confused stares and they continued shooting daggers at each other.

“I’m going to go put on a pot of tea,” Iroh announced, wanting to get himself out of the tension as fast as possible. Jin wished she had some way of leaving too.

“Um, guys? What’s going on?” Zuko and Menji both looked at her as if they suddenly remembered she was there.

“Jin, your friend here has been lying to oy,” Zuko said, pointing an accusing finger at Menji. “She isn’t even from the Earth Kingdom.” Jin frowned.

“What are you talking about?” she said uncertainty. “We met in Ba Sing Se and have been travelling all over the Earth Kingdom for the last five years. Menji is my best friend.”

“That’s not even her real name,” Zuko sighed. “She is actually from the Fire Nation and her name is Zaya.” Now it was Jin’s turn to freeze and stare at Menji. She looked into her friend’s brown eyes, searching for the truth. Why wasn’t she denying it? She couldn’t possibly be from the Fire Nation. For the first time, she noticed flecks of gold in the swirling chocolate eyes she had looked at so many times. Menji’s face was filled with guilt and apologies. It was true.

“It’s true, Jin,” Menji or Zaya said meekly. “I’m actually from a noble family and I lived here. I’m also a fire bender. I ran away from home ten years ago. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

Jin felt her world start to fall apart again. No no no no. How could this be? Ok, fine, Lee was actually a fire bender named Zuko who happened to also be the Fire Lord. But Menji? Her best friend? The one who she always stuck by through all these years? She realized that Menji would never talk about her past or her family. And if she had to answer, she would always give some vague answer. Oh spirits, Jin didn’t know anything about her best friend, did she? As Iroh reentered the room with a tray of tea she whirled on him.

“Let me guess, you’re not just a simple tea maker, are you?” she demanded.

“No, um,” Menji’s voice was small again. “He’s actually General Iroh, former Crown Prince of the Fire Nation and the Dragon of the West.”

All three fire benders watched Jin as she spun around and rubbed her temples.

“IS EVERYONE IN MY LIFE SECRETLY A HIGH CLASS FIRE BENDER?!?!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one seems kinda short. I'm planning on expanding Menji/Zaya's backstory some more and then maybe add some more about Jin's siblings. Let me know what you think!


	13. No More Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin forces the truth out of her companions

Jin had stormed out of the Jasmine Dragon. She didn’t want to deal with any more confessions from the people she thought she knew. She needed to be alone to collect her thoughts. But since everything was a blur around her, she didn’t make it very far and sat down on the steps of the shop with her head in her hands. All her life, people had been lying to her.

_ “Don’t worry, Jin, I’m sure you’ll be an earth bender like your brother!” _

_ “I’ll always be with you, you’re my little sister!” _

_ “You brother is just running late, he’ll be back soon.” _

_ “We’re going to get Jinji back. We’ll never stop looking.” _

_ “We’ll be happy in Ba Sing Se. It’s the safest place from the Fire Nation.” _

_ “I’m Lee.” _

_ “It’s ok Jin, we’ll be here when you get back.” _

_ “Are you from Ba Sing Se too? My name’s Menji.” _

All those memories and more repeated in her mind, taunting her. What had she done in a past life that was so bad it came to punish her in this one? She was questioning every part of her life now. How much of what she thought she knew was actually false? Why had she allowed herself to fall for lies over and over again? At last, she couldn’t take it anymore and sobbed into her hands.

_ Everyone always lies. _

_ Everyone always lies. _

_ Everyone always lies. _

The atmosphere in the tea shop was still tense and awkward when Jin reentered. All three of the others sat at a table in silence, looking down at their tea. Jin couldn’t tell if their faces were faces of guilt or regret. Maybe it was both. When they saw her, they all looked up and opened their mouths to speak. But she put up her hand to stop them.

“One at a time,” Jin said firmly, not looking any of them in the eyes. “I want to know the full truth now. No more lying. Menji-” her roommate’s eyes shot up to meet the olive ones staring at her “-or whoever you are. Start from the beginning. Who are you?” The girl sighed.

“Well, my real name is Zaya,” she began slowly. “My parents are pretty high up in nobility, so I grew up here. I had always been a bit rebellious but-” she fidgeted in her chair “-I ran away when I was 11.”

“Why?” Jin asked. “And do you want me to call you Menji or Zaya?”

“Please, just keep calling me Menji,” she said quickly. “I haven’t been Zaya in almost half my life. And I ran away because I was scared. My parents were favored by Fire Lord Azulon, but Fire Lord Ozai wasn’t a big fan of them and they weren’t fans of his either. So when Fire Lord Azulon died, I was scared something might happen to me and my parents, so I stowed away on a ship to the colonies. I got the name Menji from an Earth Kingdom fairy tale I read when I was a kid. And the only place in the Earth Kingdom I had ever heard of was Ba Sing Se. So I went there.” Jin and Menji locked eyes and Jin could tell she was being sincere and truthful. “I’m really sorry I lied. I had been living in Ba Sing Se for five years when we met, so it just felt natural to keep hiding my identity.”

“Ok,” Jin sighed, taking it all in. “Then why did you want to come back so badly? And how do you know Zuko?”

“Ah, well,” Menji squirmed uncomfortably. “Well, my cousin Mai was friends with Princess Azula, and sometimes I would tag along with her to the palace. And I wanted to come back because I wasn’t sure if my parents….” She trailed off.

“Oh,” Jin suddenly felt guilty. “You wanted to check on them after all these years. And that’s why you were so fixed on coming to Caldera City.” Menji nodded and when she didn’t say anything else, Jin moved on to her next target. “Fire Lord. Your turn.” Zuko jumped and gulped nervously.

“Um, um, well, when I was 13 I got banished,” He stuttered. “And for three years I went all over the world trying to find the avatar so I could regain my honor and come home. But then after the invasion at the Northern Water Tribe, my uncle and I were fugitives and were hiding from the Fire Nation in the Earth Kingdom. And then we came to Ba Sing Se after my sister shot my uncle with lightning. And so then we were working in the tea shop and I met you. Then, I found out that the avatar was in the city too. So I freed his bison and got sick. Then I got captured by the Dai Li and my sister. And there was a big fight but I chose to go with my sister back here. Everyone thought the avatar was dead, but I knew he wasn’t, so I sent an assassin that shot explosions from his head to go kill him. But after a while, I realized I wasn’t happy and went to teach the avatar fire bending. At first they didn’t like me, but after I fought off the assassin I had hired and took them on trips to help them, they accepted me. And then Sozin’s Comet came and I went to go fight my sister. She shot me with lightning, but eventually lost. And then I became Fire Lord after the avatar took away my father’s bending.” 

The other three all stared at him blankly. He said it so nonchalantly as if these were normal events that happened to everyone.Jin took a moment to try to process all the information he had just dumped on her but wasn’t able to. She pushed it aside; she’d have time to go through all of it later.

“Well, alright then,” Jin blinked, still a bit shocked. “But why are you here now? How did you find me? And why?”

“Well,” Zuko said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I remembered that you said you wanted to draw royal portraits. And since I’m royal and I don’t have a court artist at the moment, I was hoping that maybe you would come for an interview and we could meet again.” He took a deep breath and looked deep into her eyes. “I want to get back to where we left off. I was going through a lot when we met and You were one of the best things that happened to me then.” 

Jin’s eyes widened. Was he serious? After lying to her and then disappearing for five years? She inhaled deeply and took a step towards him and lifted her hand towards his face. And then she slapped the Fire Lord across the face. Not hard, of course, but enough to get her point across. He looked up at her with shock and puzzlement in his golden eyes.

“Where we left off? You mean when you left me alone at the fountain with a broken heart? You might be the Fire Lord, but that doesn’t mean I have to forgive you for how you made me feel!” She turned her back on him. She felt bad for hitting him and couldn’t look at his soft eyes.

“Ok, I’m sorry, I know what I did was wrong,” he pleaded to her back. “But I want to start over and make things right. Will you at least agree to be my royal artist? Even if it’s just for one portrait. You can leave afterwards if you want to.”

Jin slowly turned around, still not meeting his eyes.

“Alright, fine,” she grumbled. “But I’m still going to be upset with you.” She suddenly felt very tired. It had been a long day. She looked at the last person in the room. Iroh was looking down as he stirred his tea, guilt written all over his face. Jin sighed, feeling all her anger leave, turning into exhaustion. She wasn’t sure if she was tired emotionally, physically, or both. She glanced at Iroh again. As far as she knew, the old man hadn’t done much to wrong her at all. All he had really done was give her a fake name. And she was done being angry for the day.

“I’m going to go to bed now,” she said as the three pairs of eyes looked at her, waiting for her next move. “Find a way to tell me when you want me to start work on the portrait.”

And with that, she left the three fire benders to think about her words and what they had done. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the positive feedback! I hope you all like this! And expect some more plot twists in the future, possibly.


	14. Make up or break up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin is obviously a little upset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey yall, sorry it took so long for this chapter!! I've had school and all that jazz (I'm actually writing this instead of doing homework oops). But I hope you guys are still interested! I'm also thinking of starting another zuko/ofc soon, so stay tuned if you're interested in that. Anyways, enjoy!!

Somehow, Jin made it back to her new apartment alone. She knew she had probably gotten some strange looks as she made her way through Royal Caldera City with tears in her eyes, but she didn’t care. But she had managed to hold in the tears the best she could until she was in her room. She closed her door and then slid down the wall, holding her knees. Then, she cried.

Jin hadn’t cried like this in years. Not since the day Ba Sing Se fell. That was also the last day she had seen her parents. She thought she had been numb to pain by now, but it seemed she wasn’t.

_ After the Fire Nations Troops had passed by the tea shop, Jin had hurried home. She needed to be with her mom and dad. But when she got there, it was already too late. Her house had been too close to the walls. And her parents had still been home when the wall fell.  _

_ They had still been asleep in their room at the back of the house. That was the part of the house that had been buried when the wall fell. Jin’s room was somehow untouched. She had been able to get a few of her belongings; including her box with the drawings and tea coupon. Then, as soon as she had been able to, she left Ba Sing Se. And she never wanted to go back. _

Jin didn’t know how much time had passed when she heard the door to the apartment open and heard someone walking around. Menji must have come back. There was a soft knock at Jin’s bedroom door.

“Jin,” Menji called out softly “Are you ok? Can I come in?” Jin just sniffled. Menji took that as a yes and gently opened the door and sat down next to her.

“Look, Jin,” she began. “I’m really really sorry. I know I should have told you sooner. And I know there is no good excuse for what I did. But I’m still the same person.”

Jin turned to her old friend and looked at her. Menji had also been crying based on her red eyes. But Jin could tell she was very regretful. And she couldn’t stay mad at the one who had always been there for her. Jin felt all her anger melt away and hugged Menji.

This took the firebender by surprise but after a moment, she hugged Jin back. They stayed like that for a few moments before breaking apart. Then they sat there together in a comfortable silence.

“So,” Menji said, breaking the peace. “You just slapped the Fire Lord, huh?” Jin giggled, as the rest of the day’s events flashed through her mind.

“Yeah I guess I did,” she laughed. “Do you think I’ll be executed for that or something?”

The two girls laughed together. Jin put her head on Menji’s shoulder and Menji stroked her hair. She had Menji. Everything was going to be ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one was kinda short! I was trying to get back into the feel of it ya know. Anyways, hopefully I'll get the next chapter out soon and there will be more Zuko content!!


End file.
